The present invention pertains to float assemblies; more particularly, the present invention pertains to float assemblies for use with accumulators or any tank type device in which a float is employed to rest on top of a fluid.
Accumulators are typically used in oilfield installations for the containment of fluid under pressure. These accumulators normally include a float which travels up and down a central guide rod in the center of the accumulator. When the float reaches a low level the weight or position of the float changes the condition of a valve located in a bore at the bottom of the accumulator. Because the float is the key to the operation of the accumulator it is necessary to open the accumulator housing (either cylindrical or spherical) to repair or replace the float assembly when the float assembly becomes inoperable. Opening of the accumulator housing is both inconvenient and expensive.
Floats are also used in a wide variety of other applications, the most common being to determine liquid level in the fuel tank of an automobile. In these applications there is also the need to provide a large opening in the tank through which the float may be serviced. If the tank operates at high pressure, the larger the float service opening, the greater the chance for leaks.
There is therefore a need in the art to provide a float assembly which may be repaired and replaced through a small opening in an accumulator housing or tank.